The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Schumacher, Alonso competitive in practice

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Saturday, May 06, 2006

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Sport - Racing : Motor

Schumacher, Alonso competitive in practice

NURBURGRING: Michael Schumacher's run of good form doesn't look like ending ahead of the European Grand Prix. Neither does Fernando Alonso's.

Schumacher posted a time of 1:32.858 seconds in completing just four laps as he came fourth in practice behind three test drivers in Friday's morning practice.

Alonso had the top time of the race drivers in the afternoon with 1:33.579 for second place behind McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz.

Wurz had the top time in both sessions, with 1:32.079 in the first and 1:32.675 in the second.

Anthony Davidson of Honda with 1:32.399, and BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica in 1:32.852 were ahead of Schumacher in the early session.

Wurz, Davidson and Kubica did a lot of laps to test their teams' cars but will not race Sunday.

Alonso of Renault, who wrested the world title from Schumacher last season, sat out the morning practice.

Primed

Schumacher showed he is ready to be back on top at the Nurburgring, one of his favourite circuits.

The seven-time F1 champion has had his ups and downs this season, but has been brilliant in the last two races. In his Ferrari, he led practice, qualifying, and won the San Marino Grand Prix two weeks ago, holding off Alonso over the last half of the race.

Schumacher started the season with a pole position and a second-place finish. His San Marino victory was his first real win in nearly 18 months, besides his tainted triumph at last year's United States Grand Prix, when he beat a field depleted by a tyre dispute.

In between, Schumacher has had problems with engines and tires.

Alonso, meanwhile, has recorded two firsts and two seconds in four races for Renault.

Alonso leads the standings with 36 points. Schumacher has 21 points.

Exemplary track record

Schumacher has won at Nuerburgring four times. He also won the European GP when it was held in Spain.

The drivers have another practice Saturday morning, with qualifying Saturday afternoon. Sunday's race is 60 laps.

Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, won the other race of the season. Renault holds a big 51-33 lead in the constructors' standings over McLaren.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen was eighth in the first practice with a time of 1:34.402, also doing a minimum of laps. In the afternoon he clocked 1:34.536 for 13th.

At last year's European GP, Raikkonen was leading comfortably when he skidded out of the race on the final lap after a tyre failure. Alonso won. — AP

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